Sano's Bat Heating Up

[Ncgo4]

2 hits and 3 walks raised his OBP to .454 (my calculation). This is an amazing # given the slump he's been in. It also reflects early season fluctuation in numbers. Great to see Sano, Rosario, Park and Arcia join Mauer with a live bat. The next few weeks will be very, very interesting to see how it holds up. Also be interesting to see how Molly manages their playing time.

[Linus]

Rosario will be your everyday CF pretty soon. The so called logjam that everybody worries about rarely end up happening.

[Pardon My Dinger]

 

This is an amazing # given the slump he's been in. 

That is something, isn't it? ooh my lord, what happens when this guy gets hot?

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Rosario will be your everyday CF pretty soon. The so called logjam that everybody worries about rarely end up happening.

Because Buxton will be traded?

 

There's no logjam?

[mazeville]

 

Rosario will be your everyday CF pretty soon. The so called logjam that everybody worries about rarely end up happening.

 

Nope.

 

Twins NEED his defense. He might be scuffling at the plate, but that defense is still elite and given the Twins' corner options it remains a must to have back there. He'll figure things out eventually.

 

Amazing how people just start trashing Buxton so early.

[Willihammer]

Rosario will be your everyday CF pretty soon. The so called logjam that everybody worries about rarely end up happening.

I would not be surprised to see this happen either. Not permannently, but maybe for a while, for a number of reasons

1. Molitor likes Rosario, that's obbvious (and there's a lot to like).

2. To my eye, in a tiny sample, Rosario doesn't look overmatched in CF.

3. Sano and Arcia need to play, and right or wrong the only spots for them are in the corners.

4. Kepler has looked comfortable at the plate. Seems to offer some OBP.

5. Buxton has looked overmatched at the plate.

[HitInAPinch]

 

Rosario will be your everyday CF pretty soon. The so called logjam that everybody worries about rarely end up happening.

 

So the outfield would be Arcia, Rosario and Sano?  Talk about subtracting by subtracting. 

[nicksaviking]

Yesterday was Buxton's first multi-strikeout game since the White Sox series and only his second since game 1 at KC. I'd like to give him a couple more weeks, I think he's close.

[d-mac]

 

Yesterday was Buxton's first multi-strikeout game since the White Sox series and only his second since game 1 at KC. I'd like to give him a couple more weeks, I think he's close.

 

He has struck out on exactly 45% of his plate appearances. What part of that is close?

[d-mac]

 

That is something, isn't it? ooh my lord, what happens when this guy gets hot?

 

He's starting to heat up. He really seems to be really seeing the ball well right now. 

[Dman]

 

2 hits and 3 walks raised his OBP to .454 (my calculation). This is an amazing # given the slump he's been in. It also reflects early season fluctuation in numbers. Great to see Sano, Rosario, Park and Arcia join Mauer with a live bat. The next few weeks will be very, very interesting to see how it holds up. Also be interesting to see how Molly manages their playing time.

 

Yeah pitchers don't seem to be giving him much to hit.  The strategy seems to be throwing junk and stuff off the plate hoping he will get himself out but if he is getting on base that much I don't think the strategy is working well for the pitchers.  Or maybe it is given the alternative.  Just glad he is being patient and not getting himself out all the time.

 

I think he needs to strike out a few more times to lure the pitchers into throwing him more fastballs across the plate. 

[Pardon My Dinger]

 

Yeah pitchers don't seem to be giving him much to hit.  

From what I've been able to watch, I agree. I think he needs to be a little more aggressive. He has such a good eye, and he ends up taking a lot of really close pitches. Every now and again, grip it and rip it, young man. Yesterday is a great example, roping a first pitch strike to deeeeeeeep center. 

[nicksaviking]

 

He has struck out on exactly 45% of his plate appearances. What part of that is close?

 

The part where 50% of his entire strikeout total this season came in his first four games.

 

The ball hasn't been falling in, but until yesterday, his strikeouts had toned down since his ugly first impression.

[Bickle19]

Rosario has hit a few HR's the last couple games (hopefully that keeps up) but let's not pretend his plate approach until now has been any better than Buxton's. 

[gunnarthor]

I still have a lot more faith in Buxton long term and I agree with Nick that he's looking better.  He just needs reps.  I'd rather they move Rosario down to AAA than Buxton - not that they would.

[d-mac]

 

The part where 50% of his entire strikeout total this season came in his first four games.

 

The ball hasn't been falling in, but until yesterday, his strikeouts had toned down since his ugly first impression.

 

And his first 4 games had 35% of his PA's. According to BBRef he's at 35% K rate at both his last 7 day and 14 day splits. Which is his career K rate. That's to go with ONE walk all season. And that came in last night's game... the same game in which Ricky freaking Nolasco was walked. That doesn't look like improvement to me.

 

He's had 22 PA's all season with 2 strikes. He's struck out in 18 of them. The pitcher has gotten ahead in 14 PA's and he has struck out in 8 of them, with ZERO hits. Buxton has hit .162/.205/.297 this year. For context Drew Butera's career triple slash is .185/.242/.266. Buxton is the definition of an automatic out. The kid needs 350-400 PA's in AAA just to learn some basic plate discipline and pitch recognition. 

 

The rest of this line-up is starting to get hot. Except Buxton is hitting what he is hitting, and the Twins' catchers have collectively .125/.167/.232. If the Twins expect to crawl back into contention, they absolutely cannot have two automatic outs in the line-up. 

[Don Walcott]

How about that Sano guy?

[Oldgoat_MN]

Not to pick nits, but Baseball-Reference finds Sano with a .385 OBP.

Still excellent. Just sayin'.

 

And I agree with Pardon My Dinger. What happens when he gets hot?

[d-mac]

 

And his first 4 games had 35% of his PA's. According to BBRef he's at 35% K rate at both his last 7 day and 14 day splits. Which is his career K rate. That's to go with ONE walk all season. And that came in last night's game... the same game in which Ricky freaking Nolasco was walked. That doesn't look like improvement to me.

 

He's had 22 PA's all season with 2 strikes. He's struck out in 18 of them. The pitcher has gotten ahead in 14 PA's and he has struck out in 8 of them, with ZERO hits. Buxton has hit .162/.205/.297 this year. For context Drew Butera's career triple slash is .185/.242/.266. Buxton is the definition of an automatic out. The kid needs 350-400 PA's in AAA just to learn some basic plate discipline and pitch recognition. 

 

The rest of this line-up is starting to get hot. Except Buxton is hitting what he is hitting, and the Twins' catchers have collectively .125/.167/.232. If the Twins expect to crawl back into contention, they absolutely cannot have two automatic outs in the line-up. 

 

More context, there are 381 position players to have at least 170 PA's in MLB since the start of 2015. Of them Buxton has the worst strikeout rate, 4th worst BB/K ratio (Danny Santana has the worst, and Rosario is #10 on that list), 10th worst wOBA and wRC+ (Santana is #3 on both lists), and 27th worst fWAR (and in few PA's than anyone ahead of him on the list). 

[Ncgo4]

Buxton is a star.  His play in the OF is at times shocking.  His speed on offense is game changing.  The other day he turned a routine single into a double.  He so terrified the pitcher that a wild trow got him to third.  Finally, he scored on a not-deep fly out to the OF.  No one else on the Twins and maybe no one else in the majors would have scored off his hit to left.

 

True, he's not hitting well yet.  In another 30 days if he's still at this level let's talk.  Until then let him learn whilst in the fire.  I agree with some that they should have started him in Rochester, but they didn't so we should leave him right where he is.

[Ncgo4]

The issue with the Twins right now is that they have 4 left hand hitters that need to be in the line up.  Mauer, Rosario, Arcia and Kepler all need to play.  During away inter-league games they only have 2 spots with no DH.  Kepler, IMHO, is being totally screwn.  He needs to play and they should send him down to Rochester so he can get the repetitions he needs.